A while ago, I discovered that even with a digital SLR, the auto exposure setting can mess up some subjects. Properly understood, the Program AE setting, however, will help capture a correctly exposed and sharp photo.

Most camera Program AE settings favour a fast shutter speed to reduce camera shake. This faster shutter speed opens the lens aperture wider, so depth of field is reduced.

Look carefully at your camera’s display: by carefully tweaking the controls you can juggle shutter speed and lens aperture to better suit your needs. If you need more depth, tweak the controls to stop the lens down, then put your camera on a tripod. You can even over-ride Program AE and boost its ability to correctly capture very light or very dark subjects.

Sometimes a better plan is to select one of the camera’s scene modes. These can improve your chances of getting great sports shots, attractive portraits and night shots of fireworks.

For example, in the Sports setting, the shutter speed is set higher to freeze the action, while the lens aperture is opened wider; in Portrait mode, the lens is also opened wide to restrict sharp focus to the area where the person stands, giving an attractive blur to the background; the Night shot setting relies on a slower shutter speed and wider lens aperture to give a dreamy motion effect to subjects such as fireworks and car lights.

Now, be even braver and dip your toe into aperture and shutter priority modes. These have enormous power if used intelligently.

As I discovered many moons ago, digital photography costs zilch per shot. Shoot and experiment with your camera’s exposure modes – it’s the only way to learn!

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